Stihl

I have had my this re 130 plus for 5 years and had nothing but problems. It only gets used 4 or 5 times a year at the most. and I always handle my… Read more

equipment with care. First year engine died. Semiconductor year fitting on hose broke. Third year hose sprung a leak and stihl told me I must drag it across my sandstone pavers. Now the inner part of the handle which is attached to the reel is broken and part is $60 + the repair guy said couple of hours would end up $200 plus part to repair. Would never waste money on this if I had known. Works well when it’s not in need of repairs though.

This battery grass trimmer is well balanced and light to use. Easy for an older gardener. Also low db to reduce the risk of hearing loss. The plastic… Read more

blades stay on longer than other brands.

The inbuilt battery makes the on sale price of $150 very good value! Rotate your work tasks by using with other inbuilt battery appliances. The sound level will please neighbours

Battery and electronic products have lower dB noise than petrol ones. So th there is less damage to your hearing and it is easier on the neighbours… Read more

too. Recently there was a commercial gardener trimming a neighbours hedge at 9pm on Sunday night!

The HSA 45 easily cut through the growth in our pitostrum hedge. We only needed a few minutes with a pruning saw to tidy the remainder.

Also consider the plug in version of this at around $149.

Too much variance between lowest and second lowest height setting which means you either bottom out and scalp or not able to take enough off the… Read more

lawn. Doesn’t like wet grass and really struggles to bag the clippings due to clogging the deck and chute. Bag material is extremely poor quality and doesn’t take much to rip/tear due to “normal” use and the replacement cost is downright exhortation. Same goes for the replacement blade, you can purchase Greenworks blade (essentially the same mower) for half the price of the Stihl blade. All in all not worth the money IMO compared to alternatives available for similar or cheaper dollars.

A Reliable Brush Cutter/Whipper Snipper. Comfortable To Use & Easy Start Every Time – This is a great brushcutter/whipper snipper. I've had it just over 3yrs. My last Stihl whipper snipper was 21yrs old but wanted the harness & bike… Read more

handles for ease of use, it's so comfortable to use & I can cut all day if required. It only takes a few minutes to setup the handle bars & harness to get the right balance point & cutting angle to suit your height. The start function is effortless & still reliable. I got lazy & stopped mixing my own fuel & now just keep some 1L cans of motomix which ensures correct mix & fresh fuel. When the cutting line in the original head ran out I removed it & put on a Champ Jnr 2 from AlexBrushcutterHeads. The original Stihl cutting line & head work fine, I just prefer the 3rd party head & left the old Champ Jnr 2 on the old Stihl model when I gave it away. My son has used the FS94 C-E with the Stihl brush knife I'd purchased later "just in case" for a couple of weekends cutting thicker scrub on a friends property & it didn't miss a beat. He just had to keep adding fuel.

Ordered this item from TEMU on line and was supposed to be delivered within 15 working days but months later no sign of the saw, i have tried… Read more

contacting them several time without any luck, all i get is a useless BOT with the same Auto response, Just lost 100s of € on this item so went on line to check out this lot and was not surprised to see almost every review is 1* reviews. I'm writing this to warn others of this fake on line selling company.

I had an old Stihl FS 55 RC for 20 years, it works so well , so I bought a new fs 55 RC, returned it to mitter 10 after one month because it would… Read more

start then stop, they said it was my old mixture, ( which is incorrect as I made in fresh) and charged for the service. Then with their mixture, after a month had the same problems, this time they fixed it and it know works and they did not charge the second time. However when I use Home made mixture , even using Stihl HP ultra, it stop working, even though I use purpose bought petrol syringes for accuracy. However, if I just use ready mixed motor mix, Stihl approved, it works all the time. I find this a rip off, never buying a Stihl again.

Stumbled on the reviews on this machine as looking at cost of new batteries. We have had the RMA460V since 2020. Bought with 2 AK30 batteries and the… Read more

AL300 charger unit. We have Sir Walter Buffalo grass. Brilliant machine. No problems. Still on original batteries. We have more Stihl machines that use the same batteries. Some of the posted reviews are rather strange. One posted a video without the grass catcher. We mow some sections up a slight incline. The unit pulls itself, no problem. Yes, it will not mow wet grass. And it will not mow very long grass easily.

Really strong blower blew wooden chopping board off bench into my ankle and it hurts

I bought a new stihlhs45 24" 28th June 25 brought it home and it will not start. It was started in the shop for 20sec put in my car and will not star since I return home.

formal gardeners friend – This is a champion of a tool, very happy with it indeed. But intended more for formal gardeners. It's essentially the standard (and very good)… Read more

stihl leaf blower with an inbuilt leaf mulcher.

Now there are two major drawbacks, 1. That it's strictly for mulching leaves. Not acorns, not bits of bark, not sticks. It will just jam, possibly break. Think of the leaf mulcher as a technical feature.

2. You could stick your hand into the mulcher while the tool was running. This would be a lot like sticking your hand in a blender. Maybe the hatch broke, came open, the mulcher nossel fell off. Maybe your tried to jury rig this with HVAC tube to create a cheaper, lighter version of the industrial model..... then the makeshift tube fell off... and you stuck your hand into it.

Home users would be far better with the electric models that use drill batteries, these being lighter, cheaper, quieter.

Great saw, if you know what you’re doing – Cannot recommend enough, been running this saw hard for 5 years with minimal issues. I think a lot of these negative reviews are from lack of… Read more

servicing and incorrect use/maintenance of the saw. Service it regularly, clean the spark arrestor and be careful with your 2 stroke ratio and you won’t have any problems.

To note.

I noticed my chain did come loose but only when using the Stihl synthetic bar oil (the purple stuff, I think it’s called synth plus) went back to the normal bar oil and haven’t had any issues.

Also the spark arrestor clogs up especially if you run your mix rich. This causes the saw to be hard to start and lack power. Just give it a clean from time to time.

Good Medium sized saw – I've had this unit using the 20" bar for probably 15 years now. It was used at lot in the beginning then had a span of probably 7-8 years with… Read more

minimal use. Now I've been using it again for almost another 3 years pretty heavily and it's Stihl going strong (pardon the pun). Just as easy to start as the day I bought it. It is starting to leak a little bit of chain and bar oil just recently, but its about 15 years old so I'm pretty happy with that amout of use I've had out of it before something has gone wrong that i really need someone else to have a look at. Used on soft and hard woods with no issue, and only now thinking about upgrading to a bigger unit for a few bigger jobs I have around the property and wanting to cut a few slabs.

Stihl's claim of 20mins running is rubbish. The best I've had is 10mins, average would be 7 mins if lucky. And you have to endure over 2 hour charge… Read more

just to get that. After about 100 uses it now runs intermittently even though the battery is charged. Absolute garbage. They should reclaim them all and give us our money back. Too much of this sort of poor quality foistered on the public these days.

Worst saw I have ever owned, the Stihl MS211 is terrible, hard to start when hot, then wouldn't start at all after 15 hours total use. Stihl shop… Read more

Hastings then said that the piston had deformed due to low octane fuel being used even though the owners manual says to run 90 octane or above, I had used new 91 octane.

I used Stihl 2 stroke oil and Stihl bar oil, I did everything properly, I work as a maintenance engineer so know my way around machines. Even though its still under warranty they are not going to replace it. Will never buy another Stihl product ever again. Through my work as an engineer a lot of people ask my opinion on mechanical items they are going to buy, I will be telling them to stay clear of Stihl from now on, terrible product and terrible service. Stihl could at least just admit they got it wrong with this particular model saw and provide support, instead they try to blame the customers and deny all the overwhelming evidence that this is a terrible saw.

I bought the MS170 for $249 in September 2017. It has been worked hard on large hardwood (up to 40cm in diameter) and loads of branch pruning. I've… Read more

never had it serviced or performed any maintenance on it. I've only ever put fuel and bar oil in it (more about that later) and sharpened the chain.

I love the size and weight of this thing. Easy to wield in awkward positions and from up ladders. And it cuts like a hot knife through butter with its narrow chain. The chain also stays sharp for a long time. I recommend the Stihl guided hand sharpener for when it dulls.

It starts easily from cold every time if you (1) pull start on full choke until it gives the first half-kick (usually takes 4 or 5 pulls) then (2) move to half choke and pull until it starts (usually takes another 3 pulls). It starts this easily even after being left for a year with old fuel in it.

The only time it didn't start easily was when, for the first time in 40 years of using chainsaws, I put bar oil in the fuel tank and fuel in the bar oil tank (******* idi*t). Emptied both tanks. Rinsed out the fuel tank with fuel. Pulled the spark plug out. Pulled the starter dozens of times with no compression to rinse through the fuel line and carburettor. Put spark plug back. Removed air filter. Sprayed Aerostart in. Pulled a couple of dozen times but still would not start. It started again when, out of frustration, I moved to aggressively drop starting it. And, since then, it has gone back to not skipping a beat.

It's been a fantastic chainsaw that was no more expensive than lesser brands at Bunnings.

***** 2026 UPDATE *****

After a number of extended stints of hardwood cutting in 2025, the MS170 had started to cut in a curve, probably due to unevenness in chain sharpening. It had also lost power and would quickly bog down, even under a light load. It was time to show the little saw a little love:

1. Took the carburettor apart and found that there was a lot of sawdust sitting on top of the compensator diaphragm, impeding its ability to function. I cleaned it with carburettor cleaner and then rebuilt it with a carburettor kit. Note that I could have bought a new non-OEM carburettor for less than the cost of the kit but these cheap Chinese non-OEM carburettors are pretty roughly manufactured. Better to rebuild the Zama carburettor that came as standard with the saw.

2. Put a new o-ring on the carburettor compensator tube that fits into the airbox, ensuring a good seal.

3. Used some gasket card to make a gasket to create a better seal between the airbox and carburettor throat. Strange that the saw didn't come from the factory with this.

4. Replaced the air filter. It was pretty clogged.

5. Replaced the fuel filter, even though it looked pretty clean.

6. Spark plug was in excellent condition. It was not worn and not fouled with oil, soot or other deposits. Gap was fine. Did not replace it.

7. Inspected cylinder walls, piston and rings. All in excellent condition. No scoring.

8. Removed, cleaned and inspected clutch and clutch drum. In excellent condition. Cleaned and regreased clutch drum roller bearing assembly.

9. Used gasket card to make a gasket to seal between the engine cylinder and the muffler, mostly to prevent uncombusted two-stroke oil leaking down into the plastic body of the saw creating a mess.

10. Cleaned the spark arrestor mesh in the muffler. It was only slightly clogged with carbon deposits.

11. Replaced the chain tensioner with a side tensioner from the MS250. This is a simple drop-in replacement that makes chain tensioning much easier, faster and more convenient. Note that the side tensioner sold by Stihl does not come with the screw to secure the tensioner to the saw body. You will need to ask for this. It's not essential to have this screw as the tight fit of the side tensioner and the sprocket cover and bar nuts mean that it's not going anywhere when the saw is in operation and is also unlikely to drop out even when the spocket cover is removed. But, hey, there is a hole there for that screw.

12. Installed some metal dogs (aka bumper spikes) on the saw body, near the base of the bar. These extend out beyond the short plastic dogs moulded into the plastic body of the saw. The screw holes are already present. No drilling required.

13. The Torx 27 flange head screw that secures the left arm of the chain brake handguard had broken off completely inside the lug of the plastic pull starter cover. I tried drilling/unscrewing it out from the inside using a 1mm tungsten carbide drill bit. Instead, the screw heated up and half melted itself out through the side of the lug. I cut it the rest of the way out with a rotary tool. I then rebuilt and reformed the lug by plastic welding, using a soldering iron to melt plastic zip ties. Then a little bit of careful filing into perfect form followed by redrilling the screw hole. Finally, installed a new T27 screw.

14. Replaced the bar and chain with a Toughmax bar and tungsten carbide chain.

The MS170 is now back singing at full power and cutting fast and straight like new. Bloody love this saw.

I found it heavy after a while the strap only takes the weight of the bag. But the exhaust fumes can be overwhelming even when wearing a mask. The change over to vacuum to blower takes time.

Well worth it – Two years after buying a house with overgrown yards, this has proven one of my best buys. The fabric 'catcher', however, was a waste of money as an add-on. It might work if you're on level ground.

If you want to spend more time trying to coax the line out of the spool, constantly re-feeding the line because it’s disappeared inside AGAIN, all… Read more

the while practising your swearing, this is the line trimmer for you. The tap and release feature has NEVER worked so the line constantly disappears inside, resulting in you having to take it apart and re-feed the line several times while trying to work on the garden. Nightmare piece of kit and a waste of money.

Great saw when running, unfortunately it quit with a scored piston after 5 hours, dealer gave me my money back and admitted it was a common issue

Endless problems, terrible customer service – Even in the first week of owning a this saw, starting has been a mission. Floods easily… I have got the technique now but still temperamental. Also… Read more

rough idle. After about 4 hours of use cut of switch would not stop the saw. Ended up having to put choke on to stop the saw. Then could not start saw. Took saw to retailer to service and get saw working. Only 4 hours use of light pruning green branches. Service centre said engine is cooked, unrepairable, said I was using wrong mix of fuel… impossible I use the same 50:1 mix with my boat engine, whipper snipper, posthole auger and other products… never had an issue. Would not warranty, after excessive discussions retailer charged me $150 to fix. Eventually got saw back… still not great starting, now the stud that holds the bar on turns in the plastic so can’t keep tension. Not covered under warranty again… saw just over a year old now. Got a different store to put a new (size larger) stud on.

I see good reviews I just think mine is a lemon.

Good product – This blower is good and useful high power and makes my work fast.

Stihl trashes its reputation with poor quality and cheap manufacturing – Purchased in 2019 after having had a previous Stihl pressure washer that lasted 22 years. First issue was the detachable pressure spray head firing… Read more

off the wand like a projectile. This hard plastic missile does amazing things for the paint and panel work of your car. Thankfully Stihl dealer fixed this under warranty. Fast forward to early 2023 with fortnightly use for cars and driveway cleaning in between, and the pump develops a leak. Stihl dealer investigates and pronounces it "too expensive to repair, just get another one." ??? Well I can’t let it rest there, surely it’s just an o ring. Turns out the pump main casing seal is ruptured and with a new design that seals a pump, motor and gearbox, that is filled with lubrication, all together with the same attaching bolts. Hence you cannot repair any component independently. Well done Stihl you truly have made a machine with built in obsolescence in mind. Don’t pay the price premium this brand once deserved.

Great saw – Overall it's one of the best saws you could hope for in it's size, i've recently only started cutting my own firewood and the 271 is a little beast.… Read more

There lies the problem in that an 18" bar is too small for my liking, at least for felling trees where i live in Tasmania. I've bought a 500i for larger trees but the 271 is still a fantastic saw at it's size.

Don’t buy – Awful design to the trimmer line. Never lets the out, always have to let the line out manually.

What a serious waste. Worked well(ish) for about a year, then once the trigger was released, it kept on washing. Shortly after that the end of the… Read more

wand started to leak and there was no pressure at all. It still works with the bottle but that's it. Useless. Used for 120 hours.

Not very robust – Had used the saw less than a week in total, when a crack appeared on the front casing. A few other guys had same problem. Stihl warranty won’t cover it.

Very disappointed...! The motor of this whipper snipper fatally failed three and a half years after I purchased it, although I used it carefully and… Read more

for domestic purposes only. The local dealer's quote to repair it was excessive and I decided not to accept it. My next available option was to place this machine where it belongs: at local council's rubbish disposal centre. Another machine that I bought from Stihl (battery operated lawn mower) also failed in its fourth year of life - I will never buy anything made by this, once very reputable German manufacturer...!

Brought a Stihl chainsaw from Oakbank store South Australia only used three times on the third occasion the chainsaw got hot and melted some of the… Read more

components so they said! I said it was still under warranty. It wasn’t even a year old they said I’d left the chain break on which is a safety part of a chainsaw when it’s not in use I paid $700 dollars for this chainsaw. They want $350 repair cost. What an absolute joke. I will never buy a Stihl chainsaw again. Do yourself a favour and buy yourself a Husqvarna much more reliable and sturdy. This is the second chain show. I’ve taken back absolute cr#p.